Chelsea booked their place in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup this evening courtesy of a narrow 2-1 victory over Everton at Stamford Bridge.
The home side took the lead in an otherwise uneventful first half when Antonio Rudiger scored his first goal for the club with a fine looping header.
Everton picked things up in the second half and should have equalised, but a stoppage-time second from Willian ensured that Dominic Calvert-Lewin's own late strike was merely a consolation.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's minute-by-minute coverage below.
Neither side have been in particularly great form over the last few weeks, and for Everton in particular this is a big match as they begin their post-Ronald Koeman era. Chelsea's only managerial situation has been in the headlines of late too, though, so they will be keen for another win tonight.
We will have a closer look at both sides a little later, but first let's check out the team news...
Well, as expected there are plenty of changes for both teams as Antonio Conte and David Unsworth take the opportunity to rotate their squads in this competition. On Chelsea's part there are still plenty of quality players in the starting lineup and on the bench, but you'd say that 10 of those would perhaps not make it into Conte's first-choice XI.
Indeed, it is the same back four, including goalkeeper Willy Caballero, which started the 5-1 win over Nottingham Forest in the last round, so Conte has seen them in action as a unit already this season.
The England international midfielder has been sidelined through injury ever since his summer switch from Leicester City, but he is thrown straight into the starting lineup tonight alongside 17-year-old Ethan Ampadu, who came on as a sub against Forest.
Indeed, all three of the goalscorers from that 5-1 win start again this evening, including Michy Batshuayi who netted a hat-trick to make it five goals in his four EFL Cup appearances for the club. Musonda was also on the scoresheet against Forest, but there is one change in that front three as Hazard drops out to be replaced by Willian.
Jordan Pickford, Wayne Rooney and Ashley Williams all start for the visitors tonight, but there is no place for the likes of Michael Keane, Gylfi Sigurdsson or Dominic Calvert-Lewin - the latter of whom scored twice in the last round.
He will play alongside Tom Davies and Baningime, the latter of whom is making his senior Everton debut tonight.
In all, there are only five changes from that costly home defeat to Arsenal, with Keane, Sigurdsson, Gueye, Vlasic and Calvert-Lewin dropping out of the starting XI.
Only three players have retained their place in the side from the previous round, with Kenny, Williams and Davies starting both games. Rooney looks set to play as the leading centre-forward, while it is good to see Aaron Lennon back in the starting lineup too.
The Blues have not been at their very best the season, though, and while Koeman has already paid for poor form with his job, speculation continues to swirl around the future of Antonio Conte amid rumours of player discontent and homesickness.
The title-winning manager has not lasted either of the previous two subsequent seasons, with Mourinho and then Ranieri getting sacked less than a year after guiding the team to the title and, while Conte has not quite plunged to the depths either of those two did, Chelsea's board are unlikely to hang around if there is a difficult decision to be made.
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There is still a long way to go, of course, but Chelsea have already found out the hard way that the Premier League title race could be ruthless this year - a couple of defeats and they already have a big mountain to climb.
Instead, Conte's side picked up a 4-2 win which leaves them fourth in the Premier League table, although they have already lost three times this season and are three points worse off than at the same stage of the current campaign.
The Blues had been on an eight-game unbeaten run since their opening-day defeat to Burnley prior to their recent dip in form, and they have now failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five games having kept four in their six before that.
Victory tonight would give them back-to-back home wins for the first time since September 12 and only the second time all season - although the previous occasion did include victory over Everton in the Premier League.
The Blues have not made it past this stage since last lifting the trophy in 2014-15, which their fifth EFL Cup title in total. At home, Chelsea have won their last four EFL Cup games in a row since a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Swansea in the 2013 semi-finals.
Indeed, the Toffees have not won a major competition of any kind since 1995, when current interim boss David Unsworth was amongst the playing squad as they experienced FA Cup glory.
Ronald Koeman saw his 16-month spell come to an end on Monday following their heavy 5-2 defeat at home to Arsenal a day prior, with the Dutchman leaving having won 24 of his 58 games in charge. Initially his appointment looked to be a good one, and with almost £150m spent during the summer transfer market some were tipping them to break into - or at least challenge for - the top six this season.
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Everton come into tonight's match sitting in the Premier League's relegation zone and with only one point from their opening three Europa League group games, so the EFL Cup could well be their best remaining hope of silverware this season.
He is likely to have plenty of competition for the job, though, as the likes of Sean Dyche, David Moyes, Thomas Tuchel, Chris Coleman and even Carlo Ancelotti have been linked with the vacant post since Koeman's sacking.
However, they are now winless in their last five matches across all competitions, including back-to-back home defeats at the hands of Lyon and Arsenal in which they have conceded seven goals. Looking even further back, the Toffees have won just two of their last 13 matches across all competitions.
A 1-0 Europa League qualifying win over Ruzomberok is their only away win in any competitions from their last 15 attempts - dating back to January - whereas their Premier League triumph at Crystal Palace in January is their only domestic away win of 2017 so far. They are winless in their last 12, losing half of those.
However, of the last 14 times they have reached this stage of the competition, they have only progressed through to the quarter-finals twice - most recently in that 2015-16 season.
This is quite a tough one to predict - EFL Cup matches always are due to the huge number of changes made by the managers, and Everton's situation makes it even more difficult to call. Chelsea's home advantage could prove key, though, and Everton arrive at Stamford Bridge very low on confidence.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Chelsea 2-0 Everton
The most recent of those was only in August, when first-half goals from Fabregas and Morata - both on the bench tonight - saw Chelsea pick up all three points here at Stamford Bridge.
Everton did claim a penalty shootout victory in the FA Cup fourth round in 2011, sending them through to the next stage, but that is all they have had to cheer for a long time here.
The most recent EFL Cup clash also went all the way to extra time after Louis Saha had cancelled out Salomon Kalou's opener at Goodison Park, but Daniel Sturridge scored a 116th-minute winner to five Chelsea into the fifth round almost exactly six years ago today.
CHELSEA STARTING XI: Caballero; Rudiger, Christensen, Cahill; Zappacosta, Drinkwater, Ampadu, Kenedy; Willian, Batshuayi, Musonda
EVERTON STARTING XI: Pickford; Kenny, Williams, Jagielka, Baines; Davies, Baningime, McCarthy; Lennon, Rooney, Mirallas
It is some header from Antonio Rudiger too, his first goal for Chelsea. Willian plays a short corner to Musonda, who whips a deep cross in towards the back post. Rudiger is stretching ever sinew to get there and somehow manages to pull off a perfect looping header over Pickford and into the far corner.
You will do well to see a better header than that in the EFL Cup this season.
Even so, it is Chelsea who are heading for the quarter-finals as things stand.
It is a slick move from Chelsea, one of their best of the evening, with Willian poking the ball into the path of the flying full-back. Zappacosta tries to drill one towards goal, but it is wide of the near post and Pickford looked to have it covered anyway.
It has not been the best exhibition of football so far between Chelsea and Everton, but it is the home side who head into the break with the lead and, as things stand, Antonio Conte's side will be in the hat for the quarter-finals.
Musonda collected Willian's short corner on the left before swinging a devilish cross to the back post. Rudiger still had plenty to do from that point, though, and somehow he managed to stretch enough to get the ball and loop his header perfectly over Pickford and into the far corner.
Batshuayi had the first of those, holding off a challenge on the edge of the area with his back to goal before firing a tame shot straight at the keeper on the turn. Zappacosta also threatened towards the end of the half when he collected Willian's pass on the overlap, but he slammed his effort into the side-netting.
Chelsea have created very little themselves, but they deserve their half-time lead purely by virtue of Everton being so anonymous up front. Something needs to change in this second half.
The keeper takes one touch before trying to volley a pass out to a defender, but he only succeeds in giving it to Lennon inside his own area. The Everton winger is immediately on to it, but his first touch just allows Caballero to fly in and make a challenge.
Chelsea are really hanging on now!
However, just as it looks as though Batshuayi is about to apply the finishing touch into an empty net, Jagielka comes flying in and hooks the ball away from the striker. Superb defending, and that keeps Everton in this competition for now.
The Blues play a corner short and Willian suddenly darts inside before exchanges passes with Fabregas and tucking a clinical finish into the bottom corner. Brilliant goal.
The hosts took a deserved lead into the break through Antonio Rudiger's fine looping header - his first goal for the club - but Everton were by far the better side in the second half and had plenty of chances to level things up.
It was Chelsea that got the game's second goal in stoppage time, though, with Willian netting late on before Dominic Calvert-Lewin responded immediately with what proved to be only a consolation.
Thanks you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's EFL Cup clash between Chelsea and Everton as the hosts hold off a spirited performance from the managerless Toffees to reach the quarter-finals. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!